HUMAN IMPACT on the BIOSPHERE #4

Transcription

1 HUMAN IMPACT on the BIOSPHERE #4 Charting a course for the Future

2 ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS DEAD ZONES OZONE DEPLETION ACID RAIN GLOBAL WARMING WASTE

3 DEAD ZONES REMEMBER! When an ecosystem receives a LARGE input of limiting nutrient (ie., fertilizer runoff) the population increases dramatically = ALGAL BLOOM

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7 Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone The DEADZONE forms each April, generally grows throughout the summer, reaching a peak in late July.

8 At its peak, the nearly lifeless water can span 5,000 to 8,000-plus square miles, an area almost the size of New Jersey Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone

9 DEAD ZONES How do we HELP? Use modern technology and green farming methods to: Decrease agricultural fertilizer use Decrease runoff of agricultural waste

10 OZONE LAYER Our atmosphere between km contains high concentrations of OZONE (O 3 ) which protect us from the sun s harmful ultra-violet radiation.

11 EFFECTS OF UV RADIATION Skin cancer Premature aging of skin Cataracts/blindness Reduces crop yield Disrupts food chains in oceans Click here to see a movie about the effects of UV radiation WMV, 618K

12 WHAT WE KNOW Scientists have been monitoring the depletion of ozone in our atmosphere and have discovered a hole in the ozone layer over. Antarctica Click here to see a movie about the ozone hole WMV, 616K

13 The annual ozone "hole over Antarctica has occurred during the Antarctic Spring (October) since the early 1980s. Rather than being an actual hole through the layer, the ozone hole is a large area with extremely low amounts of ozone. Ozone levels fall by over 60% during the worst years.

14 Ozone depletion is a global issue NOT just a problem at the South Pole. Research has shown that ozone depletion also occurs over North America, Europe, Asia, and much of Africa, Australia, and South America. Over the U.S., ozone levels have fallen 5-10%, depending on the season.

15 Chlorofluorocarbon molecules (CFC s) released from air conditioners, aerosol spray cans, fire extinguishers, and industry destroy ozone What s the cause of Ozone Depletion?

16 OZONE DEPLETION HOW DO WE HELP? the MONTREAL PROTOCOL committed signing nations (including USA) to a REDUCTION in the use of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances. CFC production was banned after 1995 in the developed countries, and later in developing countries. Today, over 180 countries have ratified the treaty.

17 THAT S WHY... spray AEROSOL cans no longer contain CFC propellants. AIR CONDITIONERS Gases in and refrigerators are collected and recycled.

18 OZONE DEPLETION How do we help? We can't make enough ozone to replace what's been destroyed, but provided that we stop producing ozone-depleting substances, computer models predict natural ozone production reactions should return the ozone layer to normal levels by about This is the first example of different countries getting together on an environmental issue, agreeing on what to do, doing something, and seeing a positive effect

19 ACID RAIN What s the cause? BURNING FOSSIL FUELS Emissions to Atmosphere Nitrogen oxides Sulfur dioxide Chemical Transformation Nitric acid Sulfuric acid Dry Fallout particulates, gases Condensation Precipitation Acid rain, fog, snow, and mist Industry Transportation Ore smelting Power generation Releases Nitrogen oxides and Sulfur oxides into the atmosphere that react with water to produce ACID RAIN.

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21 ACID RAIN EFFECTS damages buildings and statues damages forests kills fish reduces biodiversity causes illness & premature death from heart & lung disorders like asthma and bronchitis

22 ACID RAIN HOW DO WE HELP? Develop a National energy policy that emphasizes use of alternative renewable energy sources Cut down on activities that use fossil fuels conserve electricity drive less Drive automobiles with increased fuel efficiency OR run on alternative fuels Recycle (uses less energy than starting from scratch)

23 GREENHOUSE EFFECT Temperatures of Earth remain within a range suitable for life because the atmosphere acts as a natural insulating blanket.

24 GREENHOUSE EFFECT Atmospheric gases such as Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) methane water vapor CFC s NORMALLY trap heat energy from the sun like a greenhouse = Greenhouse effect

25 WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR TRASH? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American produces about 4.4 pounds of garbage a day. That adds up to a approximately 220 million tons of garbage each year for all of us. This only takes into consideration the average household member and does not count industrial waste or commercial trash.

26 PICTURE THIS: It would bury more than 990,000 football fields under six-foot high piles of waste.. and that s just the United States!

27 TRASH KILLS It has been estimated that over a million sea-birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles are killed each year by ingestion of plastics or entanglement

28 PLASTIC IS MADE FROM FOSSIL FUELS! PLASTIC IS FOREVER!

29 PACIFIC OCEAN GARBAGE GYRE Covers an area twice the size of TEXAS Estimated to contain over 100 million tons of debris See a video

30 We Can t Just Keep Piling it up in Landfills We have to: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE Plastic recycling video

31 QUOTES This we know... the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to earth. All things are connected, like the blood which connects one family. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. ~ Chief Seattle, 1854

32 QUOTES If you want to see an endangered species, get up and look in the mirror. ~ John Young, former Apollo astronaut A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children. ~ John James Audubon, It's not easy being green. ~ Kermit the Frog

33 WE NEED TO START CONSIDERING THE EFFECTS ON OUR PLANET WHEN WE MAKE DECISIONS!